Europe

=​ Europe = = = = [|Image by Geographic Guide] = = = = =

** Luschan's Salamander //(Lyciasalamandra billae)// **
__ **Distribution** __ This species is restricted to the east slope of the Saricinar Daglari, south-west of Antalya, Turkey. It ranges in altitude from 0-200 metres above sea level. __**

Population Estimate **__ Luschan’s salamander is common within its restricted range of 61 km sq. Status __** Luschan's salamander is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because its extent of occurrence is less than 100 km sq., all individuals are in only one location, and there is a suspected continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat.
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Luschan’s salamander is mainly threatened by its naturally restricted range, which makes it vulnerable to factors such as ecological disasters and climate change. There is generally a low human population and little tourism in the area where it is found, and generally no habitat loss is taking place. However, it is potentially threatened by habitat loss caused by forest fires, and by over-collection for scientific purposes. [|Image by ARKive]
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** Betic midwife toad //(Alytes dickhilleni)// ** This species is restricted to the mountains of southeastern Spain, including the Sierra Tejeda and Sierra Almijara (Provinces of Málaga and Granada), the Sierra de Gádor (province of Almería), the Sierra de Baza (province of Grenada), the Sierra Mágina (province of Jaén), and the Sierra de Alcaraz (province of Albacete). The populations are very fragmented (it has a small area of occupancy within its 30,769 km sq. range). It occurs at altitudes of between 700–2,140 metres above sea level (Sierra Nevada, Almería).
 * __Distribution__**

Populations of this species are highly fragmented, and many are confined to isolated mountains. Betic midwife toads are relatively common in the Alcaraz, Segura, and Cazorla mountains, but it is rare in drier mountains (Filabres, Baza, Gádor), where it is associated with springs. Populations in drier areas may consist of only a few adults. The Betic midwife toad is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because its area of occupancy is less than 2,000 km sq., its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat and in the number of subpopulations.
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__** Threats **__ This species is threatened by loss of suitable breeding habitat through excessive water withdrawal, droughts and the modernisation of agricultural practices leading to the abandonment of cattle troughs and other man-made water sources. The traditional water troughs provided good breeding habitat for this species, but the modern ones are inaccessible to this species, and drainage of habitat is also an issue. There may be an inherent threat associated with the isolated nature of the small Betic midwife toad populations, including the loss of genetic variation (necessary for the maintenance of a healthy population) and the risk to each group of environmental disasters and disease. A potential future threat is the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has already impacted the related midwife toad (//Alytes obstetricans//) in Spain. [|Image by Sosanfibios]

**European brown bear //(Ursus arctos arctos)//** __**Distribution**__ Central and Northern Pindos and also in Western Rodopi. Population Estimate __** Its population is about 100-150 persons.
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European brown bear is listed as Least Concern on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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__** Threats **__ Bears become attracted to human-created food sources such as garbage dumps, litter bins, and dumpsters; they venture into human dwellings or barns in search of food as humans encroach into bear habitats. In the U.S., bears sometimes kill and eat farm animals. When bears come to associate human activity with a "food reward", they are likely to continue to become emboldened; the likeliness of human-bear encounters increases, as they may return to the same location despite relocation. The saying, "a fed bear is a dead bear", has come into use to popularize the idea that allowing bears to scavenge human garbage, such as trash cans and campers' backpacks, pet food, or other food sources that draw the bear into contact with humans can result in a bear's death. [|Image by Dartmoor Zoological Park]

The biggest feline in Europe is Lynx, and very few lynxes live now in Greece, Portugal and Spain. Population Estimate __** The rarest is the Spanish lynx, of which perhaps 300 remain in the wild in Portugal and Spain. Status __** Spanish lynx is now listed as the worlds most endangered cat species and it is thought that population figures are down to just over 100. Threats __** Hunting and trapping the lynx for its beautiful fur along with a loss of habitat have cut into the numbers of lynx across the globe. [|Image by SNBA Outsiders]
 * Spanish lynx //(Lynx pardinus)//**
 * __ Distribution __** [[image:lynx21.jpg width="330" height="349" align="right"]]
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** Mediterranean monk seal //(Monachus monachus)// ** It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean waters around the Tropic of Cancer as well. __** Population Estimate **__ 350-450 (fewer than 500) remaining.
 * __ Distribution __** [[image:800px-9096_-_Milano_-_Museo_storia_naturale_-_Diorama_-_Foca_Monaca_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_22-Apr-2007.jpg width="373" height="302" align="right"]]

__** Status **__ The species is described as ”critically endangered” by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Other international legal mechanisms which recognise and attempt to address the monk seal’s critically endangered status include the Bonn Convention (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals), the Bern Convention (Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats), the Convention on Biological Diversity and the EU Habitats Directive. __** Threats **__ Several causes have provoked a dramatic population decrease over the time, on one hand, commercial hunting (especially during the Roman Empire and Middle Ages) and, during the 20th century, eradication by fishermen – who used to consider it a pest due to the damage the seal causes to fishing nets when it preys on fish caught in those – and, on the other hand, coastal urbanisation and pollution. The species has gone extinct in the Sea of Marmara, due to pollution and heavy ship traffic from the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. In addition, the last report of a seal in Black Sea dates to the late 1990s.

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